Signs & Symptoms: A high fever and painful swelling of the salivary glands in the face/neck

Spread: Mumps is spread by droplets of saliva containing the virus. Humans are the only natural host of this virus. When a person is infected with the mumps virus, the body produces antibodies which will make the person immune to the virus. They will not get the mumps again.

Who is at risk: Anyone who has not been vaccinated against mumps, especially children between the ages of five and nine or anyone who has not already had the mumps

Prevention: Mumps vaccine should be given with childhood immunizations. The vaccination is called MMR, which stands for Measles-Mumps-Rubella. Mumps infections have decreased by 95% since the mumps vaccine became available in 1967.

“Those lumps and bumps – that’s me, the mumps”